Changing Fate's Course
by harutarosaur
Summary: What if Zuko and Azula weren't raised alone? What if, by some chance, one of the last survivors of the Air Nation was raised alongside them? What would happen to Azula? More importantly, what would happen to Zuko? Zuko x OC, just because. SELF-INSERTION
1. Chapter 1

Changing the Course of Fate

Summary: What if Azula and Zuko weren't raised alone? What if Ursa took in an abandoned orphan who happened to be the daughter of another airbender whose mother survived the Fire Nation's attack on the air nation? What would happen to Azula? More importantly, what would happen to Zuko? AU, Zuko x OC. Pre-Avatar, Zuko was only five months old. WARNING: if all you're going to do is flame me because of the OC, go get a life. Why would you read the story if it CLEARLY said _SELF-INSERTION_? Honestly. I'm sick of the 'no one cares about the OC' comments. Tell me how that's possible when this is pretty much the story with the most subscriptions. Gosh.

Okay, rant over.

Disclaimer: Avatar is not mine.

The Beginning: Lu Dae Hsu

Somewhere in an Air Nation temple, a mother was putting her newborn baby on a not-much-older Valefor. (AN: think of the first Aeon that Yuna summons in Final Fantasy X. I didn't want to use a Bison; it would be too obvious and the baby would surely get killed.) "Sleep, Cha Yu. It's a long journey you have ahead of you." The baby, if you looked at her, didn't even look like an Air Nation child, as she was missing the marking that all Air Nation people have. She was wrapped in a cloth that was, apparently, fire-proof, as her mother knew of the dangers of travelling into the Fire Nation. "Valefor, I want you to fly so high in the sky that you only look like an eagle. Keep Cha Yu safe all her life, and take her to Ursa. I'm sure she'll know what has to be done. She's the sole survivor of our race, now that the Avatar has disappeared. I'm counting on you. Don't let me down." The mother said as Valefor flew into the sky. Moments later, the entire temple was set ablaze.

Two Months Later: Ursa

I was walking in the nearby forest when I heard the sound of a baby crying. I followed the sound and came to a clearing that seemed to be protected by an anti-fire shield. In the middle of the clearing was a Valefor, a legendary animal that was believed to be long extinct, protecting a little baby. I approached with caution, as I wasn't sure how to approach without getting attacked. The Valefor looked up at me, and got up and slowly trotted off to the side, not too far away if I decided to hurt her. I glanced into the blanket, fearing the worst. I picked her up and looked at her, and gasped at what I saw. The baby was alive and very healthy, with topaz eyes. I saw a note folded neatly in her blanket.

To whomever is reading this,

My daughter, Cha Yu, is quite possibly the last survivor of the Air Nation. Her father is a Fire Nation soldier, which would explain her eye color. She has seen too much too young, and she needs loving parents who will accept her as she is, as we cannot do that anymore. If you choose to adopt her, you can change her name, if you want to. Just, please, keep her safe and loved.

The letter was unsigned, and it had no need to be. I had already made my decision. I would adopt this poor baby with no mother of her own. The only problem was convincing Ozai to accept my decision…

"No. Absolutely not." He paced back and forth.

"Why not? She's an orphan, Ozai. She lost her mother and her father!" I countered.

"She's from the Air Nation."

"Her father was one of your soldiers!" At that, he was silenced.

"Let me see her." He said quietly. I hesitantly handed her to him. I decided to change her name to Megumi, which means "blessing" in Japanese. He gazed at her intently, and she kept his gaze, unblinking. When he finally blinked, he looked up at me. "Fine." Was all he said.

"Lady Ursa, I believe Zuko needs to be fed. Maybe this would be a good opportunity for Zuko to meet his new sister?" A maidservant interrupted. I nodded and went to my son's room. When I approached his crib, he gazed up at me, then his eyes travelled to the bundle I held. I lowered Megumi to lie beside Zuko. After staring at his new sister for a few minutes, he turned to me and raised his arms. I took him and fed him, repeating the process with Megumi.

Five Years Later

"Megumi, Zuko! Where are you?" I wandered around, looking for my darling little angels.

"Zuko, stay down!" Megumi muttered from behind a bush.

"I need to pee! Why are we even playing this?" Zuko shot back, making the bushes rattle.

"Shush! At this rate, mom's going to find us!"

"I don't care!" After that, silence was heard. Then…

"What are you doing?" Megumi hissed.

"I'm peeing." He said simply.

"Yuck! You could've at least told me that you were going to go! Ugh, disgusting. Mom!" Megumi jumped up, running to me.

"Zuko, come here." I sighed as Zuko came running over.

"Sorry." He said in a small voice. I smiled.

"It's okay." I said.

"Can we get ice cream?" Megumi asked.

"I don't see why not." I nodded.

"Come on, Zuko; let's go!" Megumi took his arm and dragged him to the kitchen.

(AN: From here on, Megumi's point of view will be used.)

Burning Bridges: The Beginning of Disaster

Five Years Later

"You're the Fire Lord now! I did this for you!" My mother yelled.

"What you did for me is useless. If Zuko was killed like he should have been, I would have become Fire Lord anyways!" Father shot back.

"Who would be your heir if Zuko dies? If he dies, then this nation is as good as dust! You have no idea how much potential your son has."

"This nation would be better without him!" Father insisted as I looked over at Zuko.

"Why are they saying these things?" I asked him.

"I don't know." He said simply, shaking his head. "I don't know." He repeated.

"Let's go." I said quickly, realizing that our parents' conversation was over. Zuko nodded and followed me. When we came outside, Father came over to us.

"Do not think of following your mother. She won't be coming back here." He said simply before walking away. Zuko and I looked at each other, and ran for our mother's rooms.

"Mom, don't go!" We said at the same time. We then realized she wasn't there.

"She's gone…" I trailed off.

"Yeah." Zuko looked around, agreeing with me. I saw a paper on her desk addressed to us.

Dear Zuko and Megumi,

By the time you read this letter, I will most likely be out of the Palace. Zuko, my precious baby boy, you will have become the unofficial Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, and you, Megumi, my little blessing, will have become the unofficial Crown Princess. Know that everything I did was for you, and be wary of your father. His fatherly love is about as flaky as his trust of me. Take care of Azula, because I am afraid of her ending up like Ozai. Don't let that happen.

Mother

We fell asleep in mother's bed that night.

Separation

"What are you so exited for?" I glanced up at Zuko, who was grinning like no tomorrow. "Did Mai finally ask you out?"

"No. I wish." He said while Azula and I snickered at each other at the thought of Zuko's crush, the extremely passive, vocally-defective, total blah known as Mai. "But I did get permission from uncle Iroh to go to the war meeting."

Azula and I looked at each other, then broke out into hysterical laughter. "You've really… overdone… yourself this time… Zuko… can't believe…" Was all Azula managed to choke out before falling apart and laughing harder than before.

"You… at a war meeting? That's like… you driving a horse-drawn cart. It doesn't… look… right." I agreed with Azula, doubling over in laughter.

"Laugh all you want. When I become Fire Lord—" Zuko was interrupted by Ty Lee, who came in through the window.

"When you become Fire Lord, we'll all run away, right, Azula, Meg?" She asked, using her nickname for me.

"Definitely." Azula said.

"Ditto." I agreed.

"Why are you going to run away?" Zuko asked.

"You're too sensitive." Azula, Ty Lee, and I said at once.

"No one said sensitivity was a bad thing…" Zuko trailed off quietly.

"When you're father's child, it is. You should know." I pointed out. "How many times has your sensitivity almost cost you your life this year?"

"Fifteen." He muttered.

"And how many times have Azula and I had to save your butt?"

"Fifteen." He whispered grudgingly.

"Exactly. Just be careful what you say there."

"I know, mother." He said sarcastically, walking up to his bedroom.

After the war meeting

"How did the… Holy Sky Bison, what happened to your eye?" I asked Zuko after the war meeting. The skin from his left eye to behing his left hear was burnt. As I leant in to examine it, he caught my hand.

"Don't touch me." He growled. I blinked, surprised at his reaction. He let go of my hand and stormed upstairs to his room.

"Uncle Iroh, what exactly happed during the war meeting?" I asked my uncle.

"His sensitivity got the better of him and he was forced to participate in an Agni Kai with Ozai. He begged for forgiveness, and then…" He left the sentence hanging. I nodded. "He now has to look for the Avatar to restore his honor."

"But that's impossible; the Avatar went missing over a century ago—"

"That's what they all say. But I'm going to do everything to get my honor back." Zuko appeared at the top of the steps.

"Good luck trying." I singsonged quietly to myself as I walked past him up to my room, which was right beside his. In fact, our rooms were connected by a door. I felt incredibly guilty at the scar that was sure to stay forever, but I knew I could do nothing about it; I wasn't trained as a doctor or a medical ninja. That's when it hit me. We had a ninja village, Konoha, here in the Fire Nation. I could go there to train as a ninja until I reach ANBU rank, and then I could take a course in medicine. I softly smiled to myself. When Zuko leaves tonight, I'll already be halfway to Konoha.

Nightfall: Halfway

"Azula, I'll be back." I said to her, getting ready to climb out of my window.

"When will you be back?" She asked, looking up from her perch on my piano bench.

"Two years, roughly." I swung my legs over. "Bye."

"See you." She said, then appeared at my window. "Should I tell Ozai and Zuko?"

"No." I said, mounting my Valefor, the only thing that was left from my biological mother. "Fly, Val." I whispered, to which she complied. I looked down, and saw Zuko and uncle Iroh on their horses.

The next day, I arrived in Konoha and began my grueling training under the Lady Hokage, Tsunade.


	2. Chapter 2

"You're Back"

Naruto and Avatar not mine.

I didn't really like the first chapter very much (in comparison to New Kid), so I'm hoping that this will be an improvement.

**Three years later**

I watched, panting, as Sakura collapsed to the ground. "You okay?" I asked, offering a hand to help her up. She took it and got up.

"Peachy, you?" She responded. I quickly examined my major-but-not-quite bruises.

"I'll say it'll take three minutes, give or take."

"Five for mine. Ino?" She turned to my one of my other best friends.

"…Two, maybe?" She shook her head, unsure.

"Girls." Tsunade called us.

"Shishou." We nodded.

"It seems you have learned enough from me, and quite a lot from each other. I think we've come to the point in our lives where you've outgrown my lessons and ventured into your own things. I really enjoyed teaching you everything I know." Shishou started. Ino, Sakura and I looked at each other, uneasily.

"Shishou… what are you talking about?" Sakura asked.

"Sakura, Ino, Megumi. You've grown to become like daughters I never had. It's been fun beating you to pulps when you deserved it. It's time you go back to your family. I've kept you for too long. I'm too old for this."

"Shishou…" I trailed off.

"You're only… Fifty-six, give or take a few years. There's no way you're too old for us." Ino continued.

"That's not the point. The point is that you've learned enough from me, and I'm starting to wither, like old people do. Look, I have wrinkles now!" She pointed to a spot on her face that was definitely starting to shrivel. "Genjutsu's no use to me anymore. My strength is starting to fade."

"That's not possible; shishou, you still kick Naruto's butt when he needs it, and he's stronger than we are combined!" Sakura insisted.

"You can keep training under me if you want. I'll close my eyes and give you five seconds. If you leave, then your training is complete." Shishou stated, closing her eyes. "Five… Four… Three… Two… One." She opened her eyes and smiled when she saw that we didn't move an inch. "Good." She smiled devilishly. "Get ready for pain, and lots of it."

**The next day**

"I don't think I'll ever be able to bend my leg properly again…" Ino trailed off, falling on the couch in the living room of the house that Sakura, Ino and I shared together.

"Ditto… who knew Shishou was so… unforgiving?" Sakura leaned against the armchair opposite the couch.

"No kidding. I think she meant it when she said there would be lots of pain…" I winced as I tried to heal the ugly bruise on the back of my leg that was very noticeable.

"Training with Naruto was nothing compared to this." Ino panted. We all nodded, having experienced the Kyuubi almost kill us, _and he wasn't even trying_! I lay down on the chaise lounge.

"Then, I take it you'll be able to whack me flat on my back after you're healed." A familiar voice put in.

"Zuko!" I shot up, immediately regretting it when my legs moved. "What are you doing here?"

"Ozai wants you to come back home. He's excused you for the month to come to Ember Island with us."

I rolled my eyes. "Only _Ozai_ would think of the palace as a _home_."

"I agree, but you should come voluntarily or he'll send his guards to drag you back." He shrugged and leaned against the window, the sunlight framing his figure, making him look…perfect… _What the hell?_

"Good point. Last time I had an incident with the guards…" I trailed off, shuddering and pulling myself into a closed position.

"What happened?"

"Hm." I looked at him pointedly. Was I hallucinating, or did he look… pissed off? I shook it off. "Just, uh, let me get my stuff and we'll leave." I got up, having finished healing my injuries. "Sakura, Ino, do me a favor and talk. Just… don't bore him to death with your _nonstop_ gossip. If I never liked it, there's a guarantee that he'll like it even less." I walked up the stairs. About five minutes later, I came back down, a bag slung over my left shoulder. When I came back, Zuko looked relieved that I was finished packing. Ino and Sakura were currently arguing about who was better looking: Naruto now, or Sasuke then. I rolled my eyes. "Bye Pig, bye Forehead!" I said loudly.

"Bye, Fireworks!" They called out just as loudly.

"I only set off ten!" I objected.

"Inside the shop!" Ino started cracking up at the memory.

"You blew the roof off, and it ended up in front of Choji's house! He was stuck inside all day because he couldn't fit through the window!" Sakura fell over, laughing like a madwoman who was given sugar.

"Let's go." I said darkly to Zuko, stalking out the front door.

"Fireworks?" Zuko asked.

"I was playing around with a ball of fire in the fireworks shop. I accidentally dropped it, and it landed on ten strings that were tied together. They blew up, and the roof went off and landed in front of Choji's house. Choji's… kind of big, and he was stuck inside all day because the roof of the shop was blocking his front door." I sighed at the memory. "Shishou had to pay the damages. I received a couple of big bruises after that."

Beside me, Zuko chukled. "You haven't changed. You've grown a little, but I think that's it."

"Oh, shut up." I hit his arm playfully. "You, on the other hand, have changed dramatically. You're not shorter than me anymore." This was true. He was now three inches taller than I was. Before, I was a good five inches taller. He also had muscles now, as opposed to the scrawny thirteen-year old I last saw. Time away from the Fire Nation obviously did good things for him.

"I also know the difference between Green tea and Jasmine tea." He pointed out.

"I guess that counts for something." I shrugged.

Zuko stopped just outside the gates of Konoha. "We'll be riding on horses from here." He turned to me. "Do you think you can handle that?"

I rolled my eyes. "Stupid brother." I noted how weird the word 'brother' sounded when associated with Zuko. "You've missed too much."

"I just noticed something." He said as we approached the horses.

"What?" I replied, mounting my horse, Snowblade.

"What was the first time you've ever called me brother and not Zuko." He pointed out, mounting his horse, Cobalt.

"There's a first time for everything, I guess." I shrugged, realizing that that _was_ the first time I called him brother since… well, ever. "Why?"

"It didn't sound right. Just… stick with saying my name."

I shrugged. "Sure."

We settled into a comfortable silence as we rode back to the palace.

**Back at the palace**

"Really, Zuko, how long does it take for you to get someone who is only five miles away? It's ridiculous!" Azula shook her head. Her eyes, however, told a different story.

"You would've waited less if you came along." Zuko grumbled.

"You didn't tell me you were going!" Azula protested. I rolled my eyes.

"Come on, guys. Get along. I don't want to hit both of you."

"Last time I checked, you could never bring yourself to hurt me." Zuko pointed out.

"Shut up!" I playfully hit him.

"Zuko, you're back." A raspy voice interrupted.

"Great to see you too, Mai." I said sarcastically. She and I never got along; we were as different as day and night, and she had a crush on Zuko, who had always preferred Ty Lee's and my company over Azula's and Mai's. I wasn't sure, though, whether it was because he didn't like Mai, or whether it was because he did and was afraid that it would become obvious. He liked it better when his secrets stayed secret. That never stopped me from finding them out, though, and this was a secret that I definitely was going to find out.

"Is that the voice of my best friend I hear?" A bright, perky voice called out.

"I don't know, does your best friend's name start with an M, have six letters in it and end in the letter I?"

"I seem to remember that. It's been too long that I think I've forgotten."

"Two years isn't that long!" I turned around, pretending to be offended.

"Actually, seven-hundred-thirty days, seventeen-thousand, five-hundred-thirty hours, one-million-fifty-one thousand-two-hundred seconds. I think. That, my best friend, is a long time."

"Good point." I nodded.

"Now that you're back, Megumi, Ozai wants to hold a party for you. I overheard him practicing a speech, saying that you and Zuko were the 'dearly missed prince and princess' over and over again, but differently each time." Azula said.

"Tacky." My face scrunched up.

"That's what I said." Ty Lee agreed.

"He also wanted to keep it a surprise, so pretend you didn't know anything about it." Azula advised

"Got it." I nodded, going up the steps. Then, I turned around. "Anything else?"

"Oh, yeah. Your dress is upstairs. Since the party's going to start in about five hours," Azula dodged a party planner carrying a long pole, "Ty Lee and I are going to help you get dressed. That way, Zuko and Mai can have some alone time." They dragged me upstairs, where I saw my dress. It was a red, strapless dress with folds at across the stomach and embroidery at the bustline. "I have a dress in black, and Ty Lee's is yellow. Mai doesn't usually come to the parties, but I heard that her parents are going to make her come anyways."

"I wonder what she looks like in a strapless…" Ty Lee trailed off, sprawled out on my bed. While Azula and I sprawled out alongside Ty Lee, we tried to imagine Mai in a dress. We all shuddered when the image came. Strapless dresses and Mai didn't exactly go together.

"Help me get into my dress." I sat up and took my dress out. I hadn't tried it yet, and I wanted to see how it looked. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I frowned at my hair.

"We'll be going down as soon as you get out of the dress." Azula read my mind. When I got out of the dress, we all went downstairs (Mai included). My hair was curled in big, loose curls and the sides were gathered and held together with a small clip so it all cascaded down my back. Azula, whose hair was now long and glossy, got her wavy hair straightened. Ty Lee put her partway up and got it curled in very tight, small curls. Mai had the long parts of her hair curled in delicate, tiny curls. In all, it took us four hours, because we all got it done at once. We had out makeup done, and by the time we were finished, it was ten minutes to the party's start. I headed up to my room and locked the doors to my room: the one from the hallway, the one connecting to Azula's room (which was almost always locked, anyways), and the one connecting to Zuko's room. I looked at my dress and slipped into it. Once I was ready, I unlocked the door that connected me to Zuko. I knocked once.

"Zuko?" I asked quietly, opening the door slowly.

"Yeah?" He turned around.

"Oh! Um… I'll just, um… Just… tell me when you're ready." I closed the door quickly, blushing a dark shade of crimson. _Well, then. It looks like all that chasing after the Avatar did good things to him. __Really__ good things. I wonder… No, no, no! Now's not the time to be thinking of things like that! Actually, __never__ would be the best time to start thinking like that. He's my… brother._

After waiting a couple of minutes, the door between our rooms opened. "Let's go." He said, offering his arm to me. I took it and we walked out of my room, down the stairs.


End file.
